5 Tips for Tapping into a Learner’s Motivation

By:
Jae Curtis

Let’s face it: Not every eLearning course is going to earn rave reviews or have learners checking in on their spare time. But just because you can’t offer fireworks doesn’t mean your learners are completely disengaged from the subject matter and material. By tapping into a learner’s motivation, you can structure courses that – even if they aren’t groundbreaking – can still capture attention and deliver the information effectively.

Define Benefits

Give your learners a reason to try by defining the benefits of the course early on. Whether it’s designed to improve sales, become safer or enhance person-to-person communication skills, understanding the purpose of the material can help motivate learners.

Offer Incentives

No, you don’t need to make a sticker chart to give kudos for a job well done. But putting some type of reward in place can help incentivize learners to log in and complete the course. Even offering a small incentive, such as an end-of-chapter quiz upon completion can help learners feel like they’re achieving something.

Acknowledge Expertise

Think about it: How motivated would you be if you were subjected to a course for which you already knew and understood the subject matter? Acknowledge differing levels of expertise by offering the option to skip or test out of a chapter so the more experienced stay focused and engaged.

Talk to Supervisor

Who know his employees better than the supervisor himself? Talk to the supervisor to find methods for motivation that have worked in the past, like group discussions, incentives and learning techniques to get the inside scoop.

Keep Information Relevant

Don’t waste time on information and subject matter that isn’t really relevant to the learner. As soon as a learner judges the information to be unimportant, you lose the motivation to take part and complete the course.